Ten years ago, Master Hao met a trickster who placed him in a group of young men on the first day of work. said lightly: "My salary here is not according to the grade, according to how much I live!" Master Hao knew in his heart that this was to pressure his wages, so he deliberately grinded foreign workers. At the end of the day, I was pulled down by that group of boys. Master Hao said, "I won't receive today's salary, but tomorrow I will try another day, and if I want to pay it back, I will take the money for apprenticeship." ”

I poured rice soup into the young man that night, and came to watch the excitement early the next morning. It was already past the work time, and Master Hao hadn't shown up yet, so everyone speculated: "Don't we squeeze too hard, the old guy doesn't dare to come?" As he was talking, Master Hao came running in a panic, patted his ass and said, "Unlucky! Unlucky! I slept dead last night, and my family asked someone to steal it, who is good, lend me the trowel? ”

People winked at each other and smiled but did not answer. It all depends on his jokes.

Master Hao sighed and said, "Alas, it seems that this bowl of rice is not very delicious!" Come on, find something to replace it! "Bend down and take off a tattered leather shoe from under your feet, dig up a spoonful of ash and wipe it. And they were all stunned. Seeing that he wiped a large piece of work in a moment, it was smoother than a trowel!

He smiled and said, "You change guys, how can I pay for this thing?" ”

Master Hao glanced at him and said, "Brother, I told you to open your eyes!" You can keep the money to buy medicine and eat! "Put on leather shoes, throw your arms and go.

After the liberation, the master's consciousness improved very quickly, and with these good hands, it was the first time to complete the task in any month. The organization once transferred him to be a foreman, and he begged bitterly: "In the plastering industry, I am a sharp boy, and when I become a cadre, I am the tip of the tail!" You'd better let me do the trick! ”

In the past, Master Hao did not accept apprentices. Now that his superiors have mobilized him to train the next generation, he agreed, but put forward three conditions: first, the apprentices are chosen by himself, and the number is determined by himself; Second, how he teaches, how the apprentices learn, and is not allowed to give random opinions; 3. If you don't make a master-apprentice contract, the master will break up if he doesn't want to teach.

Under these conditions, he chose his first apprentice - Liu Guozhu.

Liu Guozhu had just finished the middle school entrance examination last year, and his father died suddenly, so he sent the admission notice back to the school, and he went to the labor bureau to register and take on the burden of supporting his mother.

He doesn't like to talk, but he is sincere in every word, he doesn't like to fight, but he cares a lot about the affairs of the group. The regiment elected him as a branch committee, and the club asked him to be an officer, and he was also a sentry at the youth supervision post.

Master Hao saw that he was loyal and simple, and wanted to accept him as an apprentice, but he didn't know what his genius was. On this day, I saw him squatting alone in the corner of the wall, holding a few pieces of horse manure paper, and leaning over to a box.

Master Hao asked, "What are you doing?" ”

Liu Guozhu stood up stiffly and said: "Now the ash spreader is too heavy, and it takes a lot of effort to pull, I want to transform it, this is a model, who knows if it can work?" ”

Master Hao took the model and looked at it, and saw that it was very delicate, so he smiled and said: "Okay, but it's a pity to be clever in this left side door, you can go with me to learn the craft!" ”

Liu Guozhu blushed and said thickly: "I can't ask for it, who knows that the organization is ......."

"I'll leave it all to me!" Master Hao smiled and threw the model on the ground.

"Xiao Liu, don't look at this trowel, Tiananmen Square and the three major halls, which one is not erased by it? You just put your heart into learning, kung fu is not deceiving! ”

"Xiao Liu, kung fu, kung fu, every point of effort, every point of ability! There's no stealing on this! If the master teaches, learn with all his heart, and if he does not teach, don't be smart; Slow work is a skillful craftsman! ”

Liu Guozhu is grateful for the master's enthusiasm and knows the master's temper. Every night, he would put on a bucket of yellow mud and practice trowels on the outer wall of the shed. Master Hao touched someone else's arm and said, "Look at my apprentice! And they said, "Do you still need to see?" There are no weak soldiers under the strong generals! Master Hao laughed heartily.

Autumn is the season of delivery. A large number of buildings have been built, just waiting to be plastered and inhabited, but there are not enough plasterers on the construction site, and there are no new technicians to recruit, so the party, government and trade unions have jointly called for plasterers to put forward reasonable suggestions.

Liu Guozhu asked the master: "What do you think?" ”

"Do these chiefs think they can call the wind and rain and use reasonable advice for everything?" Master Hao shook his head and said, "Enthusiasm can't replace craftsmanship!" ”

"Then there is no way?"

"Recruit!"

After pondering for a while, Master Hao instructed again: "Don't panic when you hear this call, you have to do it step by step, do you hear?" ”

Two days later, the trade union summoned the teachers to hold the "Zhuge Liang Meeting", and when he came back, Master Hao looked uncomfortable and said to Xiao Liu: "You are also ready to be a master, and tomorrow there will be twenty school plasters!" ”

Xiao Liu asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Rationalization suggestion! said that 100 plasterers would be trained within half a month, and each person would only learn one hand, plastering the wall, plastering the wall, plastering the line, plastering the line, and plastering the line......"

Xiao Liu couldn't help clapping his hands and said, "This is a good way......

"What's the best way? In this way, the art of plastering will be lost! Learn a craft in half a month, and spoil people! ”

After the new workers came, the old man handed them all over to Xiao Liu, and he didn't ask himself.

A few days later, Master Hao found that Xiao Liu was no longer practicing trowels on the outer wall of the shed, so he was so angry that he stomped his feet and called Xiao Liu to scold: "What's wrong with you, you have enough skills?" Like those people, dig a hand and go, wow? Tell you, I'd rather not teach you than ask you to embarrass me! If you want to be lazy again, we will go our separate ways! ”

Xiao Liu resumed practicing trowels, but he didn't go to bed on time. It took four or five days to come back at one or two o'clock, and the master became suspicious: "Didn't he hide from me?" ”

On this day, Master Hao went to clean his hands in the middle of the night, and suddenly saw a light in the abandoned shed in the west, and his heart moved, and he tiptoed over. When he got nearer, he heard someone speaking inside:

"This thing is going to be created, and a strong worker will top a master Hao!"

"Then the plastering king is about to give way! See if he is still conservative or not? ”

Master Hao rushed to his throat in one breath, and hurriedly leaned to the window to look, under the candlelight, two young workers held a large board like a long flat pole, moving up and down on the wall, and a person behind him stood with his back lit, with a shovel and ash. Master Hao was just about to take a closer look at whether the person who was with the gray was Xiao Liu, but the man turned his face and said solemnly: "Hu Ji again, the eight characters haven't been skimmed yet, so I will my tail first!" "That's not who Xiao Liu is. Master Hao's anger was not trivial, and he was still trembling when he returned to the room. From this day on, he ignored Xiao Liu, until the workers who learned to plaster left, and said to Xiao Liu coldly: "You can also pack your luggage and go with them!" ”

Liu Guozhu was frightened, asked again, and shed tears again. Master Hao trembled and said, "Go!" Who do you believe in, learn from whom! ”

I don't know if it's a coincidence or someone deliberately arranged it like this: Liu Guozhu's group and Hao Fengqi's group lived on the same floor. One in the east and one in the west.

A loudspeaker was installed between the two groups, and the results of the advanced group were broadcast every hour to the hour. Master Hao is used to being praised, and he never thought that others would be praised in his building, and he was taken aback when he heard the word "Liu Guozhu" that day. After praising Liu Guozhu, he listened to it again, but still didn't mention him, but put on the record.

"In one upstairs, he's praised, but we're not? Isn't this a sight? Master Hao shouted with a flushed face: "Come on, come on!" ”

On the second day, the third day, the broadcast still only praised Liu Guozhu, Master Hao put down the trowel and found the broadcasting room, and asked, "Do you pick up praise from young people or praise for high skills?" ”

The announcer was a new girl, and she didn't know Master Hao, so she said in a big way: "No matter how young or old, no matter how skilled you are, it depends on his grades!" If you are not convinced, try to learn from Master Liu! ”

"You went to inquire about the results of my group, Hao Fengqi's group, have you heard of it?"

"Hao Fengqi group? Well, it's exceeded, but Master Liu has created advanced tools? Can't compare to ......."

"Phew!" Master Hao snorted angrily: "He hasn't learned that trowel yet!" It's an advanced tool again! You know what, I'm going to the director! ”

I met the director at the door.

The director smiled: "Master Hao, I'm looking for you, you have to take the lead in promoting the advanced tools created by your apprentices, you are the 'plastering king', you don't want other masters to do it." ”

Master Hao sneered: "Hmph, he wants to beat my trowel, and if you want to promote it, it's okay for me to recognize him as a teacher!" Or wow, take back that juggling set as soon as possible! ”

The director asked; "Are you serious?"

"Why, you don't believe in my craft? Come on, come on, we'll see you tonight! ”

Master Hao walked back to the construction site with a snort, and as soon as he entered the door, he heard a loudspeaker shouting: "Comrades, please note: after work today, there are two masters and apprentices of Hao Fengqi and Liu Guozhu in the auditorium, and I hope everyone will actively participate; The leaders of each group must participate in the ......"

In the future auditorium, a pair of large barrels were placed, with Hao Fengqi's name on the east bucket and Liu Guozhu's name on the west bucket. For the sake of brightness, the baffles on the twelve large windows on the north and south sides were all removed. The trade union rushed to send a pair of horizontal couplets to hang in the north head, writing: "The strong have their own strong masters, look at the heroes of the master and apprentice." ”

Master Hao was wearing a snow-white cardigan gown, gray trousers, a black leg belt, a round dress and tweed shoes, and a small embroidered trowel sleeve in his hand. It looks particularly neat. Standing at the door, I greeted everyone and asked, "Which side am I on?" Then he stirred the ashes in the bucket, touched the wall sprayed with water, and walked up to the old friends to gossip, and said in a small voice: "Forty years of old craftsmanship, today is going to be planted and fighting, hahaha!" ”

Liu Guozhu came in a line, wearing a one-color red sweatshirt and blue shorts, carrying the improved wooden planks that Master Hao had seen that night, and after coming in, he stood in a row, raising his hands like a ball and shouting: "Learn from Teacher Hao, learn!" ”

Master Hao sneered: "You have to save some face!" ”

The inspector announces the start of the game. Master Hao rolled up his sleeves and walked to the wall with his assistant. There was a whispered argument in Liu Guozhu's group: some people couldn't see Master Hao's pride, and asked Liu Guozhu not to play, and only use the lowest workers to defeat him. Liu Guozhu shook his head and said: "If I don't go up, the old man will be angry, we are here to promote advanced experience, not vindictive!" ”

Master Hao was not in a hurry, and pulled the trowel apart as if he were pulling it off, wiping one by one, never returning his hand, and the assistant behind him could hardly keep up. I held my breath and slurped. When Master Hao heard the praise, he secretly turned his head, and saw that Liu Guozhu was busy working on the edge of the long board, and there was not even a gray spot on the wall, so he couldn't help laughing. Master Hao then wiped it again, and before he could apply two wipes, there was a sudden commotion behind him, and he hurriedly looked back, and it was like a breath blowing, and Liu Guozhu's eyes had been smeared with a one-meter square piece! was wondering, seeing Liu Guozhu and the two holding the long board together, scraping up and down, and smearing a meter square, looking back at his own, it was only about one meter, and he unconsciously felt a little flustered.

The assistant whispered, "Hell yes! I don't know if their quality is good? ”

This sentence reminded Master Hao, and he said: "Pull a piece in a flash, it's not good, let's do it tightly!" After speaking, he took off his coat and took out all his strength to dry quickly.

Master Hao was soaked all over his body, and his hands gradually softened, and he thought sadly: "In the end, I am old and have enough energy to spare!" At this point, the whistle blew and the inspector announced a stop.

Master Hao saw that Liu Guozhu had more than doubled as much as himself. wiped his sweat and shouted: "Check the quality first, no matter how much you wipe, the unqualified quality will not count!" ”

Everyone also said: "The quantity is clearly strong here, so let's test the quality!" ”

The inspector lifted the ruler, walked to Liu Guozhu's wall, leaned on, and said, "Everyone will judge." ”

Master Hao looked up and down, turned to the reverse side and looked at it, then pushed away the inspector, held the ruler in his palm, and said tremblingly: "The masters take a closer look, my eyes are not very good." ”

The old master looked at it again and again, and finally said: "How can this be said, we can't do it without a single seam, this one really has no seams!" ”

The inspector smiled: "That's a good review, 100 points!" Master Hao, what do you think? ”

Master Hao snorted indistinctly.

People turned to Master Hao's wall again. Everyone looked at it and said: "If you talk about manual work, this is the pinnacle, but you can't compare it with that, a touch over there is a meter square, naturally there is no seam, this time wipe it, there is always an uneven place?" ”

The inspector said, "Ninety-nine points is not wronged, right?" What about Master Hao's opinion? ”

Only then did I find out that Master Hao was gone.

The director invited everyone to the conference room to discuss their feelings.

Liu Guozhu quietly picked up Master Hao's white coat.

Before seeing Master Hao during the meal, Liu Guozhu pushed away the rice bowl, carried a small coat to look around, passed by the auditorium, and saw Master Hao wearing a small vest standing against the wall that Liu Guozhu had wiped, and trembling and touching the dust on it. Liu Guozhu quietly walked up and draped his coat over his master's shoulders.

Master Hao turned around suddenly, threw away his coat, and shouted with tears in his eyes: "I am planted in your hands!" Tread on me! ”

Liu Guozhu took a step back and said sadly: "Master, you wronged me by saying this!" I'm grateful that it's too late, but this is for the sake of building socialism, and I have no right to make concessions! ”

Master Hao looked at him and sat down with his face covered. Whimpered: "My life's craft is over, it's worthless, I'm old and old, and I'm making trouble with my bare hands!" ”

"Master!" Liu Guozhu sat down close to him and said, "If you don't teach me to plaster the wall, can I study this?" Here, the credit is yours! At the symposium just now, all the plasterers are determined to learn it, and soon our efficiency will be doubled, aren't you happy? ”

Master Hao was silent for a long time, and suddenly patted his chest and shouted, "What is this called?" In the old society, I was the number one in the plastering business, but now that socialism is being built, I have become a crusher! You can calm down, people can't afford to lose it! ”

"Master, you have dragged down your craft!" Liu Guozhu said sadly, "You just hold on to your skills, and you don't dare to take one more step, but now everything is pushing through the old and bringing forth new things!" ”

Master Hao wiped his tears and was silent for a long time, and suddenly thought: "As the saying goes, you are a good man if you can afford to fall, but when you are old, do you want the younger generations to look down on you?" It's better to grit your teeth and catch up, with your life's hard work, learning new things will not let them pull behind, and in another three years, I will be the king of plastering, so that I have a clear conscience for the country! Thinking of this, I couldn't help but burn my face first, and moved my mouth, but I couldn't say the four words "I learn from you".

Liu Guozhu is a clever person! Can't see what this means? As soon as he saw the old man's red face, he was ready to speak, so he said: "Master, we want to improve the work of wiping threads and wiping tops, but there is a lack of experienced people to lead, you don't want to be naughty apprentices, come and be our research team leader!" ”

Master Hao was embarrassed to get up when he saw that his apprentice was going down the stairs for him, so he smiled and said, "I can't do this today?" ”

"Aren't you going to get eight points out of this thing? As long as you don't like it, the two of us will be able to operate together at night! ”

"Good!" Master Hao laughed out loud unnaturally. It's like telling a joke, and it's like saying seriously, "In the new society, it's not a shame for a master to learn from an apprentice!" ”

Liu Guozhu picked up the little white coat and affectionately put it on the master.

1956